A ewe and twin lambs

SMARTshot B12 Trial: Manawatu 2024

A 2024 Manawatū trial across six farms found that lambs treated with SMARTShot B12 generally grew faster than untreated lambs, with measurable responses on five farms and growth differences of 0.4 kg to 1.4 kg by the second weigh event. The findings suggest SMARTShot B12 may help finish more lambs earlier, reduce parasite pressure and drench use, and support better pasture availability for remaining stock.

Trial:

On six farms, at tailing 2024, 200 even-sized terminal finishing lambs from the same group were ear tagged, 100 with one tag colour and 100 with another colour. 100 were treated with 0.5ml SMARTShot® B12 and the other 100 were not treated. These lambs were managed together throughout the trial. Lambs were weighed at weaning and at the following yarding event.

Results:

  1. Five out of six farms had a measurable response between the treated and untreated lambs.
  2. Growth responses varied from 0.4 kg to 1.4 kg difference by the second weigh event. The 1.4 kg difference was with the SMARTShot B12 plus Selenium product.
  3. One farm had a weaning check in the lambs, but the check was 0.5 kg less in the treated group and, by the following weigh event, these lambs were 1 kg heavier than the untreated group.
  4. Those farms that slaughtered lambs at weaning had up to 8% more lambs slaughtered from the treated group compared to the untreated group after the 2nd weigh event.
  5. For those that kept their lambs to kill at a higher slaughter weight, the treated lambs finished faster than the untreated lambs.

Discussion:

A 0.5ml dose of SMARTShot B12 is $0.62 per lamb or $619.49 per 500ml pack (plus GST)*
A 0.5ml dose of SMARTShot B12/selenium is $0.72 per lamb or $721.29 per 500ml pack (plus GST)*
With current red meat prices the way they are, the extra kgs gained will more than pay for the SMARTShot cost.

The use of SMARTShot B12 as a tool is to:

  • Get more lambs off farm earlier to reduce the number of parasites laid out on pasture.
  • Reduce the amount of drench used.
  • Free up more pasture for the remaining lambs.

Recommended use for both products:

Ewe replacements – 1ml/lamb (best given at tailing)
Finishing/trade/terminal lambs – 0.5ml/lamb (best given at tailing)
The 0.5ml will give 3 – 4 months’ supply of B12 and up to 8 months of selenium.
The 1ml dose will give 6 – 8 months` supply of B12 and up to 12 months of selenium.

If you are interested in a conversation about SMARTShot, feel free to contact your Vetlife veterinarian.

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This article is by Dr Juan Klue, Production Animal Veterinarian, and was originally published by Totally Vets. As a trusted partner of Vetlife, we’re proud to share their expertise with our community.

Please note: this article has been updated from the original to include pricing as of August 2026; pricing is subject to change without notice.

SMARTShot B12 ACVM number A009984; SMARTShot B12 plus Selenium ACVM number A009402.


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